Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method comprising: a core router receiving a stacked label multicast packet from a first edge router via a point-to-point label switched path (LSP), wherein the stacked label multicast packet comprises a multicast packet, a top label associated with the point-to-point LSP, and a bottom label associated with a point-to-multipoint LSP; selecting whether to pop or swap the top label from the stacked label multicast packet, wherein the selecting comprises: the core router popping the top label from the stacked label multicast packet to produce a labeled multicast packet, if the core router is the penultimate router of the point-to-point LSP from the first edge router to an ultimate router; the core router swapping the top label for a new top label to produce the labeled multicast packet, if the core router is not the penultimate router; and the core router transmitting the labeled multicast packet to a second edge router via the point-to-multipoint LSP.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the point-to-point LSP comprises a non multicast label distribution protocol (non-mLDP) enabled core router, and the point-to-multipoint LSP comprises mLDP enabled core routers.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core router transmits the labeled multicast packet to a next core router that comprises both a tail end router of the point-to-point LSP and a head end router of the point-to-multipoint LSP, the point-to-point LSP is established between the first edge router and the next core router, and the point-to-multipoint LSP is established between the next core router and the second edge router.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising: the next core router replicating the multicast packet to produce a replicated data packet; and the next core router transmitting the replicated data packet to a third edge router via the point-to-multipoint LSP.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bottom label is associated with a multicast forwarding equivalence class (mFEC), the second edge router is multicast label distribution protocol (mLDP) enabled, and the second edge router generated the mFEC.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the multicast packet comprises a source address and a multicast group address, and the mFEC comprises an opaque value generated as a function of the source address and the multicast group address.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the core router is not mLDP enabled, and the core router does not recognize the mFEC.
8. A system comprising: first and second edge routers coupled to each other via a core router; and the core router configured to receive a stacked label multicast packet from the first edge router via a point-to-point label switched path (LSP), wherein the stacked label multicast packet comprises a multicast packet, a top label associated with the point-to-point LSP, and a bottom label associated with a point-to-multipoint LSP; select whether to pop or swap the top label from the stacked label multicast packet, wherein selecting whether to pop or swap comprises: popping the top label from the stacked label multicast packet to produce a labeled multicast packet, if the core router is the penultimate router of the point-to-point LSP from the first edge router to an ultimate router, or swapping the top label for a new top label to produce the labeled multicast packet, if the core router is not the penultimate router, and transmit the labeled multicast packet to the second edge router via the point-to-multipoint LSP.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the point-to-point LSP comprises a non multicast label distribution protocol (non-mLDP) enabled core router, and the point-to-multipoint LSP comprises mLDP enabled core routers.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the core router transmits the labeled multicast packet to a next core router that comprises both a tail end router of the point-to-point LSP and a head end router of the point-to-multipoint LSP, the point-to-point LSP is established between the first edge router and the next core router, and the point-to-multipoint LSP is established between the next core router and the second edge router.
11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising the next core router, wherein the next core router is configured to replicate the multicast packet to produce a replicated data packet, and transmit the replicated data packet to the second edge router via the point-to-multipoint LSP.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the bottom label is associated with a multicast forwarding equivalence class (mFEC), the second edge router is multicast label distribution protocol (mLDP) enabled, and the second edge router generated the mFEC.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the multicast packet comprises a source address and a multicast group address, and the mFEC comprises an opaque value generated as a function of the source address and the multicast group address.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the core router is not mLDP enabled, and the core router does not recognize the mFEC.
15. An apparatus comprising: a core router comprising a first circuit, a second circuit, and a third circuit, wherein: the first circuit configured to receive a stacked label multicast packet from a first edge device via a point-to-point label switched path (LSP), wherein the stacked label multicast packet comprises a multicast packet, a top label associated with the point-to-point LSP, and a bottom label associated with a point-to-multipoint LSP; the second circuit configured to select whether to pop or swap the top label from the stacked label multicast packet, wherein selecting whether to pop or swap comprises: popping the top label from the stacked label multicast packet to produce a labeled multicast packet, if the core router is the penultimate router of the point-to-point LSP from the first edge router to an ultimate router, or swapping the top label for a new top label to produce the labeled multicast packet, if the core router is not the penultimate router; and the third circuit configured to transmit the labeled multicast packet to a second edge device via the point-to-multipoint LSP.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the third circuit is configured to transmit the labeled multicast packet to a next core apparatus that comprises both a tail end device of the point-to-point LSP and a head end device of the point-to-multipoint LSP, the point-to-point LSP is established between the first edge device and the next core apparatus, and the point-to-multipoint LSP is established between the next core apparatus and the second edge device.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the bottom label is associated with a multicast forwarding equivalence class (mFEC), the second edge router is multicast label distribution protocol (mLDP) enabled, and the second edge router generated the mFEC.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the multicast packet comprises a source address and a multicast group address, and the mFEC comprises an opaque value generated as a function of the source address and the multicast group address.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the apparatus is not mLDP enabled, and the apparatus does not recognize the mFEC.
Unknown
February 3, 2015
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